#1. The Return of Nigel Lythgoe
Far greater than the drama seen onscreen each season was the long simmering clash of wills between Cowell, American Idol's star, and Nigel Lythgoe, Idol's executive producer who ran the show. Once close enough to vacation together in the Caribbean, the years had put a strain on the relationship of two men very used to steering their own ship. The departure of Cowell, however, meant that the way was clear for the return of Idol's great dictator in Lythgoe—and the difference has been immediately evident. The pacing of each episode has once again been tight and sprightly, with the judges contributing to the central excitement rather than stealing attention away.
#2. Judicial Restraint
In filling the empty chairs, the producers knew they needed judges with genuine star quality, as well as proven track records producing hits. While no one had heard of Cowell when the show launched, eight years later, he had made his seat too big to be filled with another unknown. However, the pitfalls of bringing in a celebrity were many: Would they be too big to get their hands dirty with the work of the show, or unwilling to risk looking like bad guys?
#3. The Talent Pool
It wasn't that last year's contenders were uniformly awful, but as a group, they looked like a high-school class on a forced field trip to a water treatment facility. The one breakout star, Crystal Bowersox, had her greatest moment of notoriety when it was reported she tried to quit the show . The eventual winner, Lee Dewyze, mined the lower registers of enthusiasm all season long. Between them, it seemed like a race that no one was playing to win. This year, the contenders have already proven energetic, and the audience is responding, with half a dozen developing breakout followings across the Internet, even before the finals have begun.
#4. Restoring the Narrative
When Idol debuted, it was pretty clear what the story of the show was: an audition for a giant recording contract. Since then, the point of the exercise has been lost, buried under a popularity contest, preening judges, and bloated guest performers. With all the elements that have been added to the show, it is no wonder that voters have lost sight of Idol's central mission and have bestowed their favors on the cutest boy, or the guy they'd like to see win, with little thought of whether they will have any interest in his musical career to follow. The result has been a disconnect between the show and the albums its winners produce, with the millions who cast votes for the cute white boy dynasty failing to show up at iTunes to support them—Kris Allen and Lee Dewyze, most of all—once the season ends. Thanks to this, Idol's promise—to bestow bona fide stardom on its winners—is no longer credible. It has been five years since (non-winner) Chris Daughtry left the show to become the last contestant capable of filling arenas.
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